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Bolt Prospects 2005-2006 Final Rankings: 20-16

Two goaltenders and three forwards comprise slots 16 through 25 on Bolt Prospects 2005-2006 Final Rankings. As always a reminder: our prospect criteria deems a prospect as any player 24 years or younger on opening night 2005 who has played less than 82 NHL games in their career and has not played 41 or more games in any individual NHL season. Paul Ranger, Evgeny Artyukhin and Ryan Craig graduated under these criteria and are no longer listed in our ranking. Instead, we have moved them to a new section on our prospects page titled "Bolt Prospects Alumni". So, lets begin with number 20:
[b]20. RW/C [url=andre-deveaux]Andre Deveaux[/url], 22 years old, 6'3" 240 lbs, Johnstown (ECHL)[/b]
[i]Springfield (AHL) 59 GP, 6-5-11, 135 PIM, -13
Johnstown (ECHL) 11GP, 4-7-11, 36 PIM, -2[/i]
It's no small compliment to Deveaux when we say that we at Bolt Prospects genuinely missed the big winger whenever he wasn't in the lineup for the Falcons. An unsung checking liner, Deveaux lacks the flash or excitement of some of his fellow prospects, but his work ethic and effort on the forecheck are intangibles that can make a player with an ordinary skill set break through barriers to the next level. With a large frame and incredible brute strength, once Deveaux gets on the puck in the offensive zone it takes an army to knock him off of it. Think Chris Dingman circa 2003-2004. In the beginning, we were puzzled why former Falcons head coach called Deveaux a future NHLer as a rookie. Now, we're starting to warm up to Andre. Skating is still a huge barrier he must get over, but there's no question about his desire to make it.
[b]19. G [url=morgan-cey]Morgan Cey[/url], 24 years old, 6'3" 177 lbs, Johnstown (ECHL)[/b]
[i]Johnstown (ECHL) 35 GP, 17-9-2-7, 2.75 GAA, 3 SO, .922 sv%
Springfield (AHL) 2 GP, 1-0-0, 2.40 GAA, 1 SO, .927 sv%[/i]
Cey, who will become classified as an overage prospect in Bolt Prospects Preliminary Rankings for next season, was a fortunate accident for the Tampa Bay Lightning. When [url=fredrik-norrena]Fredrik Norrena[/url] backed out of coming to North America for the 2005-2006 season, the Lightning were forced to sign Cey out of Notre Dame as a depth goaltender primarily for Johnstown. What they got was a goaltender in Cey who looks like he could be far more than just a AA netminder. Cey was the stabilizer for the Chiefs between the pipes leading them to a winning record and a playoff berth. A fierce competitor who is only now getting the technical training he needs, Cey also shined in his short callup to Springfield with a shutout in his only AHL start. Unfortunately, with the Lightning signing three goaltenders already this season, the field is getting crowded for Morgan. He will have to step his game up another level or two to remain on the Lightning's radar in the coming years.
[b]18. RW/C [url=chris-lawrence]Chris Lawrence[/url], 19 years old, 6'4" 217 lbs, Mississauga (OHL)[/b]
[i]Mississauga/Sault Ste Marie (OHL) 67 GP, 23-30-53, 91 PIM, -20[/i]
Like Cey and Beech before him, Chris Lawrence is making his debut in our Top 25 rankings, checking in at 18. Roundly criticized for a lack of work ethic, Chris Lawrence slipped to the third round of the 2005 Entry Draft despite being touted as a young player in possession of upside similar to his former Sault Ste Marie teammate, the Flyers Jeff Carter. The season did not start well for Lawrence as he scored just 3 goals in his first 29 games with the Greyhounds before being traded to the Mississauga Ice Dogs at midseason. His performance with the Ice Dogs, however, gave some reasons for optimism. In 38 games in Mississauga he scored 20 goals and 36 points, an amazing feat considering Lawrence had scored just 21 goals in his entire career prior to the trade. Questions regarding his attitude and motivation remain, but we're taking the view that perhaps Chris is finally turning the corner in his young career.
[b]17. RW [url=alexander-polushin]Alexander Polushin[/url], 23 years old, 6'4" 200 lbs, Cherepovets (RUS)[/b]
[i]Cherepovets (RUS) 42 GP, 8-5-13, 14 PIM, -1[/i]
It is hard to recall a prospect in Lightning history who appeared so destined for greatness as a teenager whose career turned so sharply south after he hit age 20. As a youngster, Polushin was considered one of the best prospects in hockey. He blossomed under the watchful eye of legendary coach Viktor Tikhonov with CSKA and earned back to back gold medals at the U20 World Junior Championships. It looked as if it was only a matter of time until Polushin would be playing on a scoring line for the Lightning in the NHL. And then Polushin tore knee ligaments in a practice early in the 2003-2004 season at age 21 and was forced to miss all but 13 games that season. In his absence, an ill Tikhonov stepped down and was replaced by Vyacheslav Bykov who Polushin would clash with while struggling with his weight and conditioning coming off a summer of rehab where he was largely kept off the ice. All the while, word of unreasonable demands of a 1-way contract and Polushin's refusal to start in the AHL cooled the Lightning's interest in bringing the talented winger to North America. It looked as if the light at the end of the tunnel might be in sight when Polushin was released by Bykov and picked up by Cherepovets and his former Russian junior team coach Vladimir Plyuschev. But an early season hot streak turned out to be fool's gold and Polushin did little the rest of the season. If Russians weren't exempt from the IIHF deadline because of the lack of a transfer agreement, the Lightning probably would've allowed Alexander's rights to go by the wayside. Only a great season where Polushin lives up to his potential can regain his favor with their front office.
[b]16. G [url=gerald-coleman]Gerald Coleman[/url], 21 years old, 6'4" 190 lbs, Springfield (AHL)[/b]
[i]Springfield (AHL) 43 GP, 14-21-3, 3.88 GAA, 2 SO, .880 sv%
Tampa Bay (NHL) 2 GP, 0-0-1, 2.79 GAA, 0 SO, .882 sv%[/i]
The second half of the 2005-2006 season had to be a rude awakening for Coleman coming out of London of the OHL where he played behind arguably the best junior team in the history of Canadian junior hockey. The season began well enough for Coleman, who took on the Falcons starting job early in the season after veteran Brian Eklund imploded in the role. He went 11-4-1 through December 10th, helping the Falcons establish a winning record at that point of the season and even earning a callup to the NHL when injuries befell Sean Burke. Then the bottom dropped out. Coleman went winless for the months of January and February and would only win 3 more games the rest of the season. We at Bolt Prospects don't believe Coleman is as bad as his .880 save percentage indicates, but we've been saying all along that his inflated numbers in junior hid the fact that there are some serious flaws in his game. The Lightning are very high on Coleman, but we believe he needs a lot more polishing before he can seriously be considered for a regular NHL job. He has never been a full time starter at any point in his career and his mechanics and rebound control need improvement. Fortunately it appears the Lightning are going to put a veteran starter in Springfield to mentor Coleman, should he win a job again with the Falcons. With patience and the proper teaching, we believe Coleman tops out as a tandem starter in the NHL.
[b]Bolt Prospects 2005-2006 Final Rankings[/b]
[b][url=http://www.boltprospects.com/prospects]Top Twenty Five[/url][/b]
16. G [url=gerald-coleman]Gerald Coleman[/url], 21 years old, 6'4" 190 lbs, Springfield (AHL)
17. RW [url=alexander-polushin]Alexander Polushin[/url], 23 years old, 6'4" 200 lbs, Cherepovets (RUS)
18. RW/C [url=chris-lawrence]Chris Lawrence[/url], 19 years old, 6'4" 217 lbs, Mississauga (OHL)
19. G [url=morgan-cey]Morgan Cey[/url], 24 years old, 6'3" 177 lbs, Johnstown (ECHL)
20. RW/C [url=andre-deveaux]Andre Deveaux[/url], 6'3" 240 lbs, Johnstown (ECHL)
21. LW [url=zbynek-hrdel]Zbynek Hrdel[/url], 20 years old, 6'4" 195 lbs, Johnstown (ECHL)
22. D [url=mike-lundin]Mike Lundin[/url], 21 years old, 6'2" 186 lbs, Maine (HEast)
23. LW/C [url=adam-henrich]Adam Henrich[/url], 22 years old, 6'4" 234 lbs, Johnstown (ECHL)
24. G [url=kevin-beech]Kevin Beech[/url], 19 years old, 6'4" 177 lbs, Sudbury (OHL)
25. D [url=gerard-dicaire]Gerard Dicaire[/url], 23 years old, 6'2" 230 lbs, Springfield (AHL)
[b][url=http://www.boltprospects.com/node/1131]Honorable Mentions[/url][/b]
D [url=pj-atherton]PJ Atherton[/url], 23 years old, 6'2" 190 lbs, Springfield (AHL)
D [url=jay-rosehill]Jay Rosehill[/url], 20 years old, 6'3" 195 lbs, Johnstown (ECHL)
[b][url=http://www.boltprospects.com/node/1129]Top Five Overage Prospects[/url][/b]
LW [url=zdenek-blatny]Zdenek Blatny[/url], 25 years old, 6'1" 195 lbs, Springfield (AHL)
G [url=johan-holmqvist]Johan Holmqvist[/url], 28 years old, 6'3" 185 lbs, Brynas (SWE)
C [url=jason-jaspers]Jason Jaspers[/url], 25 years old, 5'11" 207 lbs, Springfield (AHL)
RW [url=norm-milley]Norm Milley[/url], 26 years old, 6'0" 195 lbs, Springfield (AHL)
G [url=fredrik-norrena]Fredrik Norrena[/url], 32 years old, 6'0" 195 lbs, Linkopings (SWE)